Two caravan park decisions in UK: Dorset rejection and Southampton application

Caravan owners at Suffolk Sands Holiday Park in Felixstowe report water rate increases exceeding 50% over the past year. Resident Carrie Calver now pays £805 instead of £520, more than her previous three-bedroom house. A Park Holidays spokesperson attributed the rise to water company costs and the prohibitive expense of individual meters.

A family's Volkswagen T4 campervan burst into flames while traveling through the New Forest near Long Lane, Hardley, on Sunday afternoon. Firefighters from Hardley and Beaulieu extinguished the blaze within 30 minutes, but the vehicle was completely destroyed. Owner Kelly Hall described the incident as 'devastating' and thanked members of the public who stopped to help. The cause of the fire is unknown.

An environmental impact screening request has been filed for Wood Farm Holiday Park in Charmouth, proposing to convert 31 touring caravan pitches and camping pods into 27 static and lodge-style caravan pitches with environmental upgrades. Additional applications in Bridport and nearby villages include rooflight replacements, garage conversions, and home extensions. All plans are available for public comment on Dorset Council's planning register.

Grantham Caravans reported turnover of £22.5m for the year to 30 June 2025, up from £18.8m, driven by growing demand for motorhomes. Pre-tax profit fell sharply from £296,000 to £67,000 as higher interest rates increased financing costs.

Plans to add 21 static caravans at Silver Sands Holiday Park in Lossiemouth, Moray, have been approved by planning officers, overriding 18 objections from residents and caravan owners. Critics cited strain on amenities like the swimming pool and clubhouse, as well as environmental concerns about coastal dunes. Officials ruled most objections as non-material to planning, noting the development is on grassland, not dunes, and that internal road management is a private matter for the operator.

Chris Huxley has resubmitted a planning application for a camping site on the outskirts of Whitchurch, at Grindley Brook, on land behind Hotel Farm. The proposal includes 10 tent pitches, 10 seasonal pitches, and 10 touring pitches for motorhomes and caravans, along with toilet and shower facilities and a sewage treatment plant. The previous application was withdrawn after Shropshire Council’s highways team raised concerns about access and the Canal and River Trust required a 10-metre buffer from the canal to protect riparian habitat for water voles and otters. The revised plan adds a low-level fence along the canal bank to deter campers from walking onto it and provides updated access details with visibility splays and swept-path analysis.